Labour MP Tulip Siddiq pledged to defy doctors and attend Parliament to vote on the final Brexit deal should the date fall around the same time she gives birth.

The Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn said with her due date looking dangerously close to when Parliament is expected to have its say on the final Brexit withdrawal deal she is committed to attending the vote.

She said she has completely lost faith in the ‘pairing system’ that had previously meant MPs could take leaves of absence from Parliament without changing the voting arithmetic in the Commons.

She told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire: “First thing I said to my husband when I found out I was pregnant was is ‘what happens if the Brexit vote is on the day I’m giving birth’ and he said to me ‘that shouldn’t be the first thing on your mind right now’

“I can’t help it I’m from a constituency where 75%of my constituents voted to Remain. Brexit is the thing I get lobbied on most, so I’m going to come in because I can’t trust to be paired after what happened to Jo Swinson.”

Pairing controversy

Tulip Siddiq says she will attend Parliament to vote on Brexit even if she gives birth around the same time. (Image: BBC)

An incident involving Lib-Dem MP Jo Swinson shone a light on pairing pacts after the one she had was broken by Conservative MP and party chairman Brandon Lewis in a key Brexit vote in July.

Pairing means an opposing politician who plans to vote the other way abstains on votes the absent MP cannot attend meaning this does not affect the final result.

In Swinson’s case, Lewis did abstain from some of the votes but cast his vote on two amendments that helped the Government scrape through its legislation.

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